NVIDIA, makers of the powerful Tegra 2 dual-core processor, yesterday at CES announced a partnership with ARM -- code-named "Project Denver" -- to build ARM-based CPU cores that could power PCs, servers, and supercomputers.

"With Project Denver, we are designing a high-performing ARM CPU core in combination with our massively parallel GPU cores to create a new class of processor," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA, in a press release.

In fact, the project entails the NVIDIA CPU running the ARM instruction set, fully integrated on the same chip as the NVIDIA GPU. In addition, NVIDIA has obtained the rights to develop its own CPU cores based on ARM's future processor architecture. While the Tegra 2 combines two Cortex A9, NVIDIA now has also licensed ARM's Cortex A15 for future Tegra models.

"This marks the beginning of the Internet Everywhere era, where every device provides instant access to the Internet, using advanced CPU cores and rich operating systems," Huang said.

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The thing is that going forward the desktop and performance market is going to be a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. Tablets, phones, and other personal computing devices look to be the vast majority of the consumer computing market in the future. In many Asian markets the majority of internet access is through mobile devices. The developing world is likely to jump to these devices without going to very many desktops. Just as mobile phones spread through Africa before landlines became commonplace.

MS is making the smart move to be on the current dominate mobile architecture in preparation for such a future.

quote: The thing is that going forward the desktop and performance market is going to be a smaller and smaller piece of the pie.

Because the pie is getting bigger and not because the piece itself is getting smaller.

Yet, i can see a scenario where you would have a desktop in your living room, a 500$ piece of equipment that would act as a cable box, blue ray player, videogame console (with kinnect) and is also used for complete home automation (is that forgotten all of sudden?), that respond to touch, gestures (like kinnect) and voice command. That 500$ desktop, being the brain of your house, is also the center pice syncing your phones, tablets and god knows what devices together. The center piece of your all-digital world would still be a desktop, center of Microsoft "multi screen" strategy, running on ARM or x86 is irrelevant, as long as it runs on windows.

So i don't see the desktop fading away. It's too powerful for casual use now, but not yet powerful enough for complete home automation and server purpose at a low price point. But it's coming. I can do almost all of those with my HTPC, tablet PC and widows phne, although i'm a geek and it was expensive.

Yes, but as has already been stated. The smartphone market is already much bigger than desktops. More people use them and many people have multiple for whatever purpose.

A central syncing device, whether in the cloud, or at your home is only necessary if the devices can't coordinate amongst themselves.

Desktops might be replaced by smart-TVs. An idea that was thrown out before, but wasn't marketed well. I think the success will only be seen by how upgradeable it is and how modular it is. Meaning, if something happens to the TV itself, can you salvage anything by putting old parts in a new TV.

Already, the line between monitor and TV is thin. It's a matter of subtle improvement and combination of features. Much like the smartphone did to the Palm Pilot/Pocket PC.